Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri and assistant Gianfranco Zola are reportedly pushing to convince the club to sign Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella.
The 21-year-old has managed to contribute just one goal in 16 appearances so far this season, but his all-round, all-action box-to-box influence has seen him emerge as a top talent.
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Capable of offering something both defensively and going forward with his energy and tenacity, Barella has been rewarded with four caps for Italy, and it would appear as though he has a bright future ahead of him with club and country.
However, his development might be fast tracked as instead of continuing to improve at Cagliari, it’s reported by Calcio Casteddu, (and Teamtalk in English), that Chelsea are keen to prise him away from the Sardinian outfit with a €45m bid.
With loanee Mateo Kovacic expected to return to Real Madrid when his deal expires at the end of the season, Sarri will have a void to fill for next year.
Given his preferred style of play which is based on possession and technical quality in his midfielders, Barella could offer a viable solution to the problem while complementing what a playmaker like Jorginho brings to the team.
In turn, on paper it would seem like a very sensible transfer move, but time will tell if the Blues can convince Cagliari to sell, and to convince Barella to move to England to continue his career at such an early stage.
The youngster does seem like a great fit for the Premier League given his style of play, and so Sarri will be hopeful that he can continue to stamp his mark on the Chelsea squad moving forward having had little to no time this past summer to bring his own players in.
Barella could be the first of many new arrivals next year to help him fully implement ‘Sarri-ball’, and get his side playing the way that he wants them to.
